site.btaVarna, Burgas Airport Passengers Up 17.9% in 2023 Y/Y, Post-COVID Traffic Recovery Slower than in Other Tourist Airports - Fraport Annual Report

The number of passengers serviced by the Bulgarian Black Sea airports of Varna and Burgas in 2023 increased to approximately 3.7 million, 17.9% above the previous year’s figure, the airports’ operator Fraport Twin Star said in its annual report for last year. Overall, Fraport Group concluded the 2023 fiscal year with record highs for its revenue and operating result, driven by continued recovery in passenger numbers, particularly for airports outside Germany. 

The Group net profit increased to EUR 430.5 million.

The annual report further says of its Bulgaria airports that the overall recovery in traffic after the pandemic was weaker than at other tourist airports in Europe in 2023. In particular, the charter business in Burgas developed below expectations, the report says.

From the end of February, the war in Ukraine and Israel resulted in a fall of Ukrainian, Belarusian, Russian and Israeli passengers. That was partly offset by higher demand from Central and Eastern European countries.

A further aspect of the report is an increase in traffic in the off-season in the first half of 2023. “For the year as a whole, this led to an increase in both domestic (+6%) and international passenger numbers (+19%) compared to the previous year. Most of the passengers came from Germany (around 20%), Poland (around 17%), and the UK (around 15%).”

The Black Sea airports in Burgas and Varna are the second- and third-biggest passenger airports in Bulgaria after Sofia. The flight schedule included 64 destinations for Varna Airport and 75 destinations for Burgas Airport in 2023. In addition to charter services, low-cost transport promises further growth potential, the report says.

Wizz Air provided the largest share of passengers by far, at around 26%. In 2023, the airline stationed three aircraft in Varna, two since October 2023. The modular expansion of the terminals at both sites offer sufficient capacity to be able to meet the regional growth expected in the medium term.